We are pleased to inform you that we are resuming the email updates for Towards a Safer World (TASW) Network. As always the aim is to share with members of the Network the latest updates, experience and innovation, case studies, and best practices of initiatives and projects aimed to strengthen pandemic and disaster preparedness and response.

Data are compiled from open-source covering relevant stakeholders and the media to provide a broad overview of developments of relevant strands of work around the world.

You are kindly invited to send us your suggestions and ideas, on both the form and the content of these updates, so we can make this as useful as possible for a wide spectrum of related disciplines, sectors and actors. Grateful for sharing the TASW updates with your colleagues and networks to encourage them to join the Network. Our roster of experts is currently being updated. To join please fill-in this form.

Healthy ecosystems shield against disasters UNISDR, 2 Jun 2016
Healthy and well-managed ecosystems offer a buffer against hazards and can support local resilience by sustaining livelihoods, making them a cornerstone of efforts to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Publication: Economic Analysis of Animal DiseasesFAO, 2016
Animal health and economics are closely linked. Any decision taken to prevent, control and eliminate an animal disease is based not only on the technical knowledge available about a particular disease but also on the effectiveness and socio-economic aspects associated with interventions and mitigation measures implemented by governments, producers and all the actors along the livestock value chains.

WHO: Meeting the challenge of antimicrobial resistance
6 JUNE 2016 - A final report and recommendations of the Review on AMR led by Lord Jim O’Neill was presented in New York on 6 June 2016.
More than 30 000 women lose their lives each year globally due to birth-related infections, and even more newborn babies—more than 400 000 yearly— die as a result of severe infections. This situation will only deteriorate if and when antibiotics which treat infections become less effective.

WHO, 25 May
WHO Member States today agreed to one of the most profound transformations in the Organization’s history, establishing a new Health Emergencies Programme. The programme adds operational capabilities for outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies to complement its traditional technical and normative roles.

This app uses satellite data to try and save them ... According to the International Organisation for Migration, in March this year migration ... The Italian Red Cross provided emergency medical care to the 753 migrants rescued.

Gryphon Scientific, April 2016
This project is divided along the three major tasks, each of which requires a distinct data collection and
analysis approach: 1) a risk analysis (RA) of accidents and natural disasters, 2) a biosecurity RA, and 3) a benefit assessment.

The needs of people with diabetes and other chronic conditions in natural disasters
Despite there being a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in those with chronic conditions, the main focus in disaster response and recovery has been on acute medical conditions and first aid. Over recent years, there has been a shift to considering the effects of natural disasters on people with chronic conditions when planning for emergencies and natural disasters.

RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION AFTER DISASTERS

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE 2015 - Post Disaster Recovery Framework 2016 – 2020
Even before friends from neighbouring countries and further afield arrived to help, communities set up emergency shelters, neighbours took
in neighbours, young people organised to provide much-needed help. Our military, police, fire fighters and emergency response services galvanised to rescue people trapped in the rubble and to provide emergency care.

CDC, 1 June, 2016
During and after a disaster it is natural to experience different and strong ... you need it will help you, your family, and your community recover from a disaster.

Disaster Recovery, Challenges and Lessons: UNDP, 2016
Disasters occur on a continual basis across the globe, bringing in their wake large-scale damages and losses to countries and communities. They destroy public infrastructure, disrupt basic services, cause loss of lives and disrupt livelihoods. Disasters often make the world’s poor fall further into poverty. In fact, developing countries with highly vulnerable populations face the highest risk. Moreover rapid population growth and more people living in cities than ever before, overcrowded urban centres are putting people, assets and critical infrastructure at extreme risk.

Post Disaster Needs Assessment
A Post-Disaster Needs Assessment and Recovery Framework (PDNA/RF) together comprise an approach to harmonize the assessment, analysis and prioritization of damages, losses and needs by a range of stakeholders (United Nations agencies and programmes, the World Bank, donors, non-governmental organizations) in support of the national government.
PDNA is a government-led exercise, with integrated support from the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank and other national and international actors. A PDNA pulls together information into a single, consolidated report, information on the physical impacts of a disaster, the economic value of the damages and losses, the human impacts as experienced by the affected population, and the resulting early and long-term recovery needs and priorities.

WORLD HUMANITARIAN SUMMIT

World Humanitarian Summit - Key DocumentsWHS, May 2016
The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, took place in Istanbul on 23-24 May 2016. The Summit was an opportunity for global leaders to announce commitments for millions of people who are vulnerable to conflicts and disasters. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government, community leaders, businesses, and humanitarian organizations announced major commitments to action, launched new partnerships aimed at saving lives, and highlighted innovations which helped reduce suffering and uphold humanity in times of crisis.